The present invention relates to techniques for delivering information electronically, more particularly, for delivering advice to consumers from a diverse set of experts. Still more particularly, the present invention relates to systems and methods for matching consumers questions with experts, displaying available experts for consumer viewing and selection, providing for compensation from consumers to experts, and providing for the connection between consumer and experts.
Advice: Any needs of the consumer which can be provided for by an expert, including but not limited to conversation, entertainment, sounds or pictures of any kind, text, video, audio. This advice is not limited to that provided by agents regarding company products; it can include medical, legal, educational, travel, entertainment, religious, and other forms of advice. In addition, herein xe2x80x9cadvicexe2x80x9d is meant broadly to include any type of information, comfort, or communication a consumer desires.
Consumers: Individuals, companies, organizations, governments, or devices which have one or more questions or needs for advice.
Experts: Individuals, companies, organizations, governments, or devices which are able to provide advice to consumers, provided that experts"" initial means to contact consumers is via the server in the Advice Router. Experts"" compensation, which may be zero, can come from either consumers directly or from the Advice Router. Collectively, experts represent a broader range of knowledge and experience than do agents which work for a single company. Much as the word xe2x80x9cadvicexe2x80x9d is used broadly, xe2x80x9cexpertxe2x80x9d is meant broadly since many types of information can be given by human beings.
Agents: Individuals, companies, organizations, governments, or devices who, as part of their relationship/employment at that institution, answers questions when connected to his institution""s telephone or server, provided that the agent is paid by the institution for that function. The advice provided for by agents is generally restricted to that regarding products offered by their respective company.
Server: any device, network or software which connects consumers and experts.
Query: an action initiated by a consumer which includes keywords or other means to summarize their question or need for advice.
Expert characteristics: used for matching with consumers queries. Including, but not limited to one or more of the following: a code name which does not include his real name; keywords of expertise; number of years experience in each area of expertise; degrees earned; number of years of school after completion of high school or college; companies worked for or schools/training programs attended in the past or present; age; language; neighborhood, city, state, and/or country of residence; quality score as judged by previous consumer interactions; compensation rate for consumer advice; and whether the expert is available at the actual moment of consumers query or within 1, 2, 5, 10, 15, 30, 60 minutes.
Matching: a process for scoring and putting in an order of relevance a list or selected list of experts who are likely to be able to answer a consumer""s query. Can involve any method of assignment of numbers to the number of keyword matches or matches between ranges of characteristics desired by the consumer with the actual expert characteristics.
Logged in, or on-line: detectable means of communication between server and expert, including but not limited to telephone, Internet telephony, email, audio, and/or video.
Means to contact: any method, information, or technology used to bring together the consumer with one or more experts, including but not limited to telephone, Internet telephony, email, audio, and/or video. Means to contact includes telephone numbers (including toll-free and pay-per-call numbers), email addresses, Internet web pages or sites, video-conferencing details. More preferably, the means of contact includes telephone, Internet telephony, audio, and/or video, and even more preferably Internet telephony, audio and/or video, and even more preferably video. The technology to be used for any of the above includes TVs, TVs with set-top web browsers, PCs, telephones, and satellite connections.
Time-to-connect: the period of time between the transmission of the means of contact and the actual connection between expert and consumer. In the case where the consumer selects an expert, the time-to-connect is the period of time beginning when at the consumer""s last action (e.g., clicking on the symbol for an expert or his telephone number) and ending when the actual connection is made. In the case where the server makes both connections, the time-to-connect is the period of time beginning when the server indicates to the consumer that it is beginning to contact the expert and ending when the actual connection is made.